Young Green Entrepreneur

There was an excellent story in yesterday's Tennessean about a young, green, entrepreneur named Nathan Zack.

His story reminds me of stories from The Depression, with a modern twist.

Now 27, Nathan's dad died when he was 15. Because money was tight, he quit school to help support his mother and siblings. His first venture was a lawnmowing business in Farmington Hills, MI, where he and his family lived.

Nathan eventually went to work for his uncle, who had a scrap metal business. That experience, combined with his mother's environmental activism, gave him the idea to create Great Lakes Electronics.

Basically, Nathan's company recycles computers, a much-needed service.

His employees wipe the data clean, and test the products. If the item works they sell it on eBay. If not, they break down the parts and sell them to various recyclers.

Great Lakes Electronics has done so well that it has warehouses in Florida, the Chicago area, and the Atlanta area as well as Detroit. Although he started out asking neighbors for old computers, he now has K mart and other large companies in his customer list.

Since it's a privately owned company, Nathan is not required to disclose sales data, but his mother says she has to "pinch myself" to believe it.

Can you imagine the commitment and determination this young man had, to quit school to help his family and then build a successful business that supports not only himself and his family but his employees and the environment as well?

What an amazing young man!

Woo-Hoo!

No more Ortho! After being there for several weeks, it went away after I published the post about it a few moments ago!

Advertising--Oi vey!

I can't believe it!!!

I've got Ad Sense on this blog and several weeks ago I published a post about using vinegar to kill weeds.

So ever sense, the only ad I've had on the blog is for Ortho weed killer, which I'm sure is loaded with noxious toxins I'd never use in a million years.

I am going to have to figure out something that will shift it to another, more green product.

Just wanted everyone to know I am not promoting Ortho weed killer on purpose!

My Vegetable Patch

Well, folks...when I say I am taking baby steps to be more green, I really mean baby steps since my vegetable garden consists of 2 tomato plants. One is "Mr. Stripey", a low-acid heirloom, and the other is Arkansas Traveler, a pink tomato.

Back in the winter, Steve and I had big plans of finding someone who wanted to have an organic garden but did not have the yard space. We have the space, but not necessarily the time and energy to keep up with a garden.

We asked around at the Ashland City Farmer's Market but couldn't find anyone.

So here it is, my two tomato plants! Better than nothing, I say. And they seem to be thriving. I didn't have good luck with tomatoes a few years ago but now I realize I wasn't planting them deeply enough. My friend, Candace, plants hers in a five-gallon bucket so I decided to do the same and it's working.

I also have some herbs growing in clay pots...pineapple mint, thyme, cinnamon basil, regular basil, and tarragon. I also planted some millet in a clay pot, first because it's beautiful and also for the birds. I just learned the other day that you don't need to put Miracle-Gro or other plant food on herbs but I had already fed them twice by the time I learned that.

So far I have not cooked with the herbs, I just enjoy having them and inhaling their scent every time I walk out the kitchen door.

Wake Up!

I guess this is a day for reprinting others' words on this blog, but this quote from Eckhart Tolle just came to my inbox via the Unity Church e-newsletter and I thought it was very applicable to green living.

I've noticed in the few short months that I've been taking baby steps towards living green, that I've started to wake up and be more conscious. Things that I once did routinely--like leaving the water running while I brush my teeth, or constantly reaching for paper towels--are now becoming acts of sacred consciousness because I want to do them differently, more consciously.

This awakening, to me, is at the heart of green living.

And now--Eckhart!

"Here is a spiritual practice that will bring empowerment and creative expansion into your life. Make list of a number of everyday routine activities that you perform frequently. Include activities that you may consider uninteresting, boring, tedious, irritating, or stressful. But don't include anything that you hate or detest doing. That's a case for either acceptance or for stopping what you do. The list may include traveling to and from work, buying groceries, doing your laundry, or anything that you find tedious or stressful in your daily work.
Then, whenever you are engaged in those activities, let them be a vehicle for alertness. Be absolutely present in what you do and sense the alert, alive stillness within you in the background of the activity. You will soon find that what you do in such a state of heightened awareness, instead of being stressful, tedious, or irritating, is actually becoming enjoyable. To be more precise, what you are enjoying is not really the outward action but the inner dimension of consciousness that flows into the action. This is finding the joy of Being in what you are doing. If you feel your life lacks significance or is too stressful or tedious, it is because you haven't brought that dimension into your life yet. Being conscious in what you do has not yet become your main aim."
Eckhart Tolle, in "A New Earth"

From friend Tom LaRotonda come these words of wisdom. Although he does not speak directly of environmentalism, his comments underline my belief that simple acts of using fewer paper towels and hanging clothes on the line once in a while can make a difference:

"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”Scot Adams Every moment of your life your thoughts, words, and actions send forth a powerful energetic ripple that is destined to make a difference somewhere in the world. Those thoughts, words, and actions are like pebbles that strike the surface of a cosmic pond of life, initiating that ripple. It doesn’t matter how significant or insignificant you believe your actions are. Once a pebble comes into contact with the pond’s surface the ripple’s momentum cannot be stopped. Your ripple has the same transformational potential as those of the most powerful and influential people in the world. Everything you do - contributes to the overall consciousness of the planet. It is not a question of, “Do my thoughts, words, and actions make a difference in the world?” New spiritual and scientific discoveries continue to build mounds of evidence that we are all energetically connected. Given the significance of our unified connection, the life changing question before each of us is, “What difference do I consciously wish to initiate in the world by casting purposeful pebbles?” In a world besieged with the reality of war, disease, global warming, natural disasters, starvation, genocide and economic collapse, it’s hard to fathom that an action as ordinary as helping a neighbor dig their car out of a snow-bank in Colorado can send a positive ripple that eventually will save a starving child in Africa. It’s hard to believe that an anonymous act of forgiveness directed at an aggressive and rude driver could possibly neutralize an incalculable number of hateful thoughts occurring elsewhere in the world. Yet for a moment, imagine how different your life would be if you knew beyond any question of doubt that even the smallest act of kindness carried this kind of power. It truly makes you think, doesn’t it? Take a moment to recall a small act of kindness that was directed at you. How did it make you feel? Call to mind any details of how it changed the course of your day. Did it inspire you to do a similar act of kindness for someone else? Truly recapture that moment. Now imagine that ripple continuing to spread…that the person you did something for in turn did something for another person, and so on. Imagine the chain is never broken. Eventually all 6 billion plus people in the world would be touched by this one act of kindness. Just imagine - billions of people positively uplifted by one person casting a purposeful pebble containing love, kindness, and compassion. To transform the fear-based consciousness that is gripping our planet we must fill the world with ripples of love. Just think what could happen if each person reading this would commit to one conscious act a day filled with hope and inspiration! Robert F. Kennedy said to a delegation in South Africa in 1966, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” You do not need to achieve the stature and influence of a Robert Kennedy to make a significant difference in the world. Your pebbles are equally as powerful. But they will never have power if you don’t toss them. Your pebble may be the one that greatly influences and inspires the direction of a future leader…but you must toss it. Your pebble may be the one to inspire someone to totally change the course of their life…but you must toss it. The impact caused by each act of kindness cannot be logically conceived. Some people believe that their pebbles have more power if they are cast as part of a great and worthy cause. This belief will limit you. The fact that you never followed your dream of joining the Peace Corps or participated in building a Habitat for Humanity home does not reduce the power of your daily actions. The purposeful pebble that your inner voice is telling you to toss today, no matter how small it may seem, is destined to flame the winds of great change. My inspiration to you this day is that you cast purposeful pebbles filled with hope and inspiration. Know that the ripples your pebbles initiate are cosmically designed to make a difference far beyond what your mind can conceive. What power you have in your grasp! Use it wisely and lovingly. Till Next Time – May You Empower Your Life,

Tom Tom LaRotonda is the owner of Core Matters LLC, a transformational leadership organization based in Denver, Colorado. He is a keynote speaker, free-lance writer, life/executive coach, leadership consultant, and seminar facilitator. His life purpose is to inspire his clients to boldly pursue their life dreams by taking the road less traveled. One of the foremost and leading edge speakers on the concept of Inspirational Living, he has addressed audiences around the world. Tom brings passion, excellence and dedication to his calling as a transformational leadership path-finder.

I encourage you to share these messages with your friends and family. You also have my permission to reprint any message in your newsletters, websites and message boards providing you include full authorship, copyright, and subscription information. I also welcome your comments and feedback. Subscription Info: To subscribe to the Core Reflections weekly message simply send an e-mail to tom@corematters.com. You have my commitment that all personal and professional data will be held in the strictest of confidence. ©2008 Tom LaRotonda All Rights Reserved